Friday, April 07, 2006

Click the link and read this article on Yahoo, if you haven’t already. It is about something I have been hearing about for a few weeks. Apparently someone found a Gospel of Judas that paints him in a different way than most of us may have been taught. It tells the story of Judas being asked by Jesus to turn Him in to the authorities to be crucified. I guess it portrays Judas as a misunderstood reluctant hero.

I have sometimes wondered why Judas was vilified as much as he was. It had to be done, someone had to do it. I find it hard to blame someone, whether it is the Jews or Judas or anyone, because this was something that was going to take place no matter who set things in motion.

Check out the article and check your local listings for a TV program called The Gospel of Judas on the National Geographic Channel. It premieres Sunday April 9 at 7 PM

1 comment:

I saw this last night on PrimetimeLive. Let me interject a few points:1. PTL said Judas committed the unforgivable sin of betraying Christ. That's not true. Judas could have been forgiven if he'd only asked. Instead, he killed himself. That's why he's unforgiven.2. If Judas was prompted by Christ to do this, then why did he commit suicide?3. Most of the gospel accounts were written years after the death of Christ. Judas would have already been dead. Do we assume Judas was writing as he went along or that he stopped on the way to the tree and jotted it down?4. There's no more reason to vilify Judas than there is to vilify ourselves. Christ died for the sins of all, so I'm as guilty of driving a nail as anyone. 5. Even if we were to assume that Judas' gospel account is true, does it change your faith? It shouldn't. Christ was always in control of His death. Remember, he on at least two occassions escaped mobs that were trying kill him. He warned all at His first miracle (water to wine at the Gallilean wedding) not to tell anyone, because it wasn't time yet. And I believe even on the cross, Jesus only "gave up the ghost" when all had been fulfilled. 6. Christ was going to be killed. It was prophesied, so it was going to happen. God often used evil men and nations to accomplish His will. It seems Judas falls in line with that pattern.